Liangfu Mountain

Liangfu Mountain

Liangfu Mountain. As recorded in Records of the Grand Historian · The Fengshan Sacrifices: “In ancient times, those who sacrificed to Mount Tai would also hold Feng rituals at Liangfu — seventy-two such rulers in total.” From the Daxue · Protecting and Guiding: “By sacrificing to Mount Tai and holding Feng at Liangfu, one could pay homage to the feudal lords and unify the realm.” In the 28th year of his reign, Qin Shi Huang conducted the Feng sacrifice to Mount Tai in the east, and afterward performed the Feng ritual at Liangfu. In the first year of Yuanshou during the Western Han Dynasty, Emperor Wu of Han ascended Mount Tai for the Feng ceremony and paid ritual respects at Liangfu. In the 32nd year of Jianwu during the Eastern Han Dynasty, Emperor Guangwu of Han once again performed the Feng ceremony at Mount Tai. This visionary and ambitious emperor led a grand army, marching resolutely toward Mount Tai. After completing the Feng ritual on Mount Tai, he then held the Feng ceremony at Liangfu. Since then, “from the Qin and Han dynasties onward, those who spoke extravagantly of Feng and Shan sacrifices invariably mentioned Mount Tai and Liangfu together.”

This historically renowned Liangfu Mountain is located east of Mount Culai within the territory of Xintai, also known as Yingfo Mountain. Nestled beside Mount Culai and overlooking the Chaiwen River, the mountain features steep and rugged terrain. Hence, Confucius once used ascending Liangfu as a metaphor for the difficulty of promoting benevolence, and during the Eastern Han Dynasty, Zhang Heng likened the perilous nature of officialdom to the “hardship of Liangfu.” On the summit, the Northern Qi Dynasty inscriptions carved into the Yingfo Rock by the magistrate of Liangfu add a profound cultural and religious significance to the mountain. The “Song of Liangfu,” a popular Yuefu melody from the Han and Tang periods, has become an enduring classic. Even contemporary Taiwanese author Bai Xianyong borrowed the evocative title “Song of Liangfu” for one of his acclaimed novels. At the foot of Liangfu Mountain lies the former Liangfu County, established during Emperor Wu of Han’s eastern Feng journey. The ancient city of Han-era Liangfu is now called Gucheng Village, where remnants of the northern city wall still stand, approximately 500 meters in length and about

1–3 meters in height. On the ground of the ancient city site, one can find eaves tiles, curved bricks, and a large number of pottery fragments, all bearing distinct Han Dynasty characteristics.

Following in the footsteps of our ancestors, ascending Liangfu Mountain, exploring the ruins of Liangfu City, tracing cliff inscriptions with our fingers, and handling ancient tiles and broken pottery seem to bring us close to the warmth and pulse of history, as well as to the echoes from that distant, storied past. Truly, “singing joyfully as I tread Liangfu, I sigh — the echoes linger on.”